July 21, 2017

Project Optimizes Denver’s Peña Station NEXT Net-Zero Energy Development

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
is partnering with Panasonic Corporation and Xcel Energy to simulate and optimize
the energy load profile of Peña Station NEXT, a planned 382-acre mixed-use development
in Denver, Colo.

The project will employ the grid modeling capabilities of NREL's Energy Systems Integration
Facility (ESIF) while demonstrating URBANopt software, a buildings and district energy
modeling tool currently under development at NREL. Through this project, NREL hopes
to enable a cost-effective, scalable net-zero development infrastructure that has
great potential for replication and adoption across the U.S. in future developments.

“The NREL partnership with Panasonic and Xcel Energy helps deliver on our shared vision
for clean, affordable, and reliable energy systems at a pace and scale that matters
for our society,” said Juan Torres, NREL’s associate laboratory director for energy
systems integration. “As a national user facility, the Energy Systems Integration
Facility at NREL is an ideal place for both Panasonic and Xcel Energy to analyze and
optimize the project’s energy master plan before construction, in a way that benefits
all involved.”

The project uses URBANopt to analyze the projected dynamic energy consumption of corporate
office space, retail space, multifamily dwellings, a hotel, parking, and street lighting
within the planned development. The data will then be integrated into Xcel Energy’s
grid distribution modeling tools to create a cost-effective design framework that
the utility and developer can use to integrate more distributed energy resources,
such as solar photovoltaics or efficient building systems, and innovative rate structures
into the development before it is constructed.

The partners are confident the project holds great promise beyond Peña Station NEXT’s
borders. Xcel Energy will consider owning and operating the necessary infrastructure
to achieve carbon neutrality, potentially expanding the offering to future communities
in Colorado. Panasonic is similarly interested in how it might replicate and scale
carbon-neutral districts and developments across its other current and future smart
city engagements through Panasonic CityNOW. NREL will share its expertise and apply
the lessons learned from this project to future developments.

NREL’s ESIF is a flexible and fully integrated lab space dedicated to testing residential
and commercial smart energy technologies. It is a one-of-a-kind testing space that
connects appliances, electric vehicles, a home, or even a community to an end-to-end
energy ecosystem. By incorporating power generation, energy storage, and dynamic energy
loads into the facility, researchers can simulate and optimize real-world conditions
in a controlled laboratory environment.

The concept of Peña Station NEXT aligns with the DOE’s goal to enhance the nation’s
security and environmental challenges through transformative science and technology
solutions. From Oct. 5-15, the new development will be the site of the U.S. Department
of Energy Solar Decathlon competition where 12 collegiate teams from around the world
will test how well they did in building solar houses featuring the latest in energy-efficient
design, smart home solutions, water conservation measures, electric vehicles and sustainable
buildings.

NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable
energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for the Energy
Department by The Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.